Godzilla: the Dark God
by John Babb
Summary: The King of the Monsters makes his first return since 1954 on the Shores of the Western United States


Godzilla:

The

Dark God

By: John Babb

Prologue

The American-made 'Ohio'-class nuclear missile submarine's single screw pushed it silently through the murky depths of the Pacific Ocean. On the bridge, preparations were being made for the test launch of what the president called 'the latest in American Military technology', the Trident II D-6 Nuclear Missile. Designed much like its predecessor, the D-5, the D-6 was actually a cross between a MIRV (Multiple Independently-targeted Re-entry Vehicles) missile and a MARV (Maneuvering Re-entry Vehicle) missile. As a result, the D-6 was able to launch multiple guided warheads at targets as well as give each MIRV warhead the ability to either perform in-flight maneuvers to avoid enemy anti-ballistic missile defenses or terminal in-atmosphere guidance for much-improved accuracy. Inside the cone of the almost forty-four and a half foot missile were four small nuclear warheads, marked '1-4', that would wait until the main cone broke away and then they would fly to their intended targets, four man-made atolls at different locations around the Pacific with each atoll being surrounded by a fleet of six or seven decommissioned surface ships. If everything went according to plan, in a few moments there would be no ships. The captain of the submarine continued to issue orders as launch preparations neared completion.

"Periscope depth!" he ordered, walking towards the periscope.

Air was forced into the vessel's ballast tanks, expelling the water inside them and causing the sub to ascend. It was not long until the sub reached the appropriate depth. The captain raised the periscope and, as he peered through it, turned it until it was facing completely astern. Through the periscope the captain could see one of the four atolls used in the exercise. Once the missile was launched the sub would emergency dive and would evacuate the area at top speed.

"Fire!" the captain ordered.

One of the twenty-four silo hatches sprang open and with an immense gust of air the missile shot out of the tube and into the water. Once above the surface, the missile's solid-fuel rocket system engaged shooting the missile towards the heavens. However, before the rocket could reach the apex of its flight a serious malfunction occurred. The cone ejected prematurely, releasing one of the four warheads. Then the rocket failed and the entire missile, minus one warhead, fell into the ocean and sank. Already the sub's radar was tracking the stray warhead.

"Where is it heading?" the captain asked.

"The exact location is unknown," responded the radar man, "but it is definitely heading somewhere in the direction of Japan."

"Raise the communications antennae and radio the Japanese Prime Minister," said the captain, "tell him one of the warheads is heading his way."

The captain knew that a major explanation would not be necessary. One of the atolls was near Japanese waters, so the Japanese government was very much aware of the test launch. A minute later the Prime Minister's voice was heard on the radio.

"Thank you for informing us captain," he said, "our radar has already spotted the warhead and determined it is heading for the Ogasawara Island chain."

"What should we expect in the way of casualties?" the captain asked.

"Actually, it appears we got off lucky," responded the Prime Minister, "that particular chain is uninhabited, and far away from any place that is."

"Thank you Mr. Prime Minister," the captain said before the radio was switched off, then to himself, "Uninhabited, huh? That's a relief; at least we avoided a major catastrophe."

The dinosaur wandered through its jungle home. A few hours ago it had awoken from hibernation only to find this was not the world it had left behind. This new place was much hotter than it remembered, and where was everybody else? The dinosaur did remember the light that fell from the sky and made it night all the time. It also remembered how all the food began to disappear. At first everyone migrated to find more food, but eventually it became to cold to migrate. Many of his family died of the cold along with so many others. Eventually, the dinosaur found a cave and curled up inside to sleep.

When it woke up, it had to dig its way out of the cave, only to find that it was alone in a strange place. The dinosaur wandered down to the beach, something else it noticed was not there before, and starred out over the ocean. That was when it noticed something, a streak of light falling from the sky. The first thought to run through the dinosaurs mind was 'no, no, not again!' The light slammed into an island in the distance, sending a strangely shaped cloud up towards the sky. Suddenly, the dinosaur was thrown to the ground by some force it could not see. It was about to get up, but could not as it was abruptly overcome with intense, agonizing pain. The dinosaur writhed around on the sand as it felt every molecule of its very being change. The dinosaur thought death was upon it. But it couldn't possibly be dieing! No creature it saw die the last time this happened had been in such agony as it was feeling now! No, what was happening to it was far worse than death. It roared once to challenge the invisible force that threatened it and then it lost consciousness.

Chapter I

Strange Occurrences

Pacific Ocean

15 miles West of Hawaii

2200 hrs. June 17, 2010

The water was calm, a little calmer than usual for this time of year. The skipper didn't mind, however, the calmer the water was, the less he would have to listen to complaints from the passengers. Why did they always complain about it to him anyway? After all, it wasn't like _he_ controlled the weather. He couldn't make the water calm so the passengers didn't get seasick. He wasn't God and he didn't pretend to be. At least the passengers were, or at least should be, asleep by now. So he could just sit back and watch as the 'Queen Mary II' moved silently through the open waters. The captain had retired to his quarters a few hours ago asking that he be roused immediately if anything went wrong. The skipper only hoped that there weren't any problems, at least none he couldn't handle himself. However, after standing on the bridge for a few hours he was beginning to realize how boring the captain's job really was. The skipper had always thought the captain's job was easy, but he never realized it was so boring. He was about to retire himself when he saw the sonar operator trying not to doze off at his post. Hoping that, perhaps, the sonar operator's job was even slightly more interesting, the skipper walked over to him.

"Hey," the skipper said, "why don't you hit the sack? I'll take over here."

The sonar operator was about to object, but decided against it. He was tired after all, too tired to argue with the skipper. So he got out of his chair and left the bridge. The skipper sat down and watched the screen attentively. He hoped he would see something, so he could at least say his watch was eventful, even if he only saw a pod of whales. The skipper stared at the screen for a few uneventful hours and had decided the sonar operator's job was just as boring as the captains. The skipper was about to call the night watch operator when he suddenly noticed that the sonar showed him that something was following the ship, something large. The skipper noticed it to be, give or take ten meters, almost one hundred meters in length! He watched the object on his screen curiously. Whatever the thing was it had matched speeds with the ocean liner and never approached any closer than twenty meters. It seemed to the skipper that it was curious about the ship, leading him to believe that it could be a pod of whales or perhaps a school of fish. Then it did something the skipper did not expect. The strange object moved to the left of the ship and suddenly, with a tremendous burst of speed, overtook the ship and came up along side it. The skipper stood up slowly and looked out the port side windshield. The ship suddenly lurched violently, throwing the skipper to the deck. He got up, an immense throbbing pain emanating from his temple. The skipper put his hand to his head, the pain made him draw it back with his fingertips covered in blood. The ship lurched again, but the skipper was ready. Quickly getting to his feet, the skipper ran from the bridge and out onto the main deck. The ship lurched once again, throwing the skipper over the railing and into the warm waters of the Pacific. The skipper thrust his head above the water and watched the doomed ship. The power was still on, but the ship was listing heavily to port. The skipper assumed she was taking on water and his assumption was proven that very second. The seawater pouring into the ship's engine room mixed with the fuel in the engines. The resulting explosion tore the ship in half and lit up the night sky like it was dawn. The fireball that was once the 'Queen Mary II' also lit up the creature that had destroyed her. The skipper could see the rows of dagger-like teeth that lined the beast's maw and the beast's feral head and cold, black pupils. The fireball dissipated and the skipper could no longer see the creature, but he didn't have to see it to know it was still there. It let out a bellowing roar that pierced the night and sent shivers down the skipper's spine. Then, with an immense splash, the creature disappeared beneath the waves. The two halves of the 'Queen Mary II' sank into the Pacific, leaving the skipper as the only evidence the creature was ever there.

Honolulu National Hospital

Honolulu, Hawaii

1000 hrs. June 18, 2010

Two well-dressed men walked down the halls of the hospital towards an elevator. One of the men was with the Honolulu Police Department, but the other was with the Marine Safety Agency. An agency established to deal with accidents at sea, much like this one. The duo reached the elevator and the officer pushed the call button. They were heading to the room that the first mate of the passenger ship the "Queen Mary II' was recovering in, on the third floor. Both the Honolulu P.D. and the Agency were astonished by the report the man was giving. Mostly since the first mate claimed a giant monster sank the liner, both men suspected he had something to hide. As to what he wanted to stay hidden so bad that would make him kill one hundred and forty-nine other people was beyond them. The elevator doors opened and the two men stepped inside. The police officer pressed the button for the third floor, the elevator doors closed, and the elevator rose up the shaft to the third floor. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, the two men stepped out and walked down the hall to the room of the first mate of the 'Queen Mary II'. The two men stepped inside the room and found the first mate lying on a bed in a near-comatose state. The nurse beside him watched the monitoring equipment he was hooked up to. The police officer stood on one side of the bed and began to ask the first mate a few questions while the Marine Safety Agency man stood at the foot of the bed. The first mate began mumbling something and the Agency man leaned in closer, as he was unable to hear what the man was saying. The man repeated the same word over and over again.

"MONSTER."

Studio 1A Rockefeller Center

New York City, New York

0907 hrs. June 19, 2010

"…And now we go over to the news desk with Anne Currie who has a story for us right out of the X-Files," Katie Couric said.

"Thanks Katie," said Anne, "Local fishermen in Seattle Washington have reported seeing a strange creature swimming near their boats. The creature has been described as being long, perhaps snake-like with a series of large, irregularly shaped, pointed protrusions on its back. However, no photographs of the alleged creature have been taken. Now back over to Katie and Matt out on the plaza."

"Thank you Anne," said Matt.

"Hard to believe something like that could exist," Katie told Matt, "maybe the fishermen will take some pictures of it for us."

"Yeah and while they're at it," Matt jokingly responded, "how about they get a picture of a UFO or Bigfoot?"

"Ha-ha!" Katie laughed, "Well, anyway, we're out here with musical guest…"

Pacific Ocean

45 miles East of Seattle

1520 hrs. June 19, 2010

The fishing trawler sat at anchor with its nets in the water. The fishing in this area had been real good today and the crew of the trawler wanted to make sure that they got a lot of fish. The more fish you brought back to port, after all, the more you were paid. Inside the boat, the small five man crew sat at a table playing cards, in another ten minutes though, the card game would have to be put on hold as the crew would have to reel in the nets. Since everyone was at the table no one noticed the large object on the trawler's sonar moving slowly towards the boat. When the boat was suddenly, but not forcibly, moved to one side everyone jumped up from the table and ran out onto deck to see what was going on. Outside, the crew saw a series of silver, jagged shaped objects circling the boat.

"That must be the creature everyone's talking about," said one of them.

"We should get a picture," said another, running inside to get a camera.

The guy who went to get the camera came back outside and began taking pictures as the creature continued to circle the boat. Then, without warning, the creature disappeared beneath the waves.

"Where did it go?" the one with the camera asked.

His question was quickly answered when the boat was violently jerked backwards and continued to move in that direction. Everyone worked franticly to reel in the nets, but to no avail. The trawler was pulled under the water and all hands were washed overboard. Although no one could see it, the rigging that held the nets snapped off the trawler. Then the crew watched their boat shoot out of the water and land on its side. Right on top of them. All five men were killed instantly. The creature, having finished its task, made a right turn and began swimming due East.

Chapter II

Investigation

United Nations

New York City, New York

0915 hrs. June 20, 2010

Thirty-one year old Dr. Tetsuya Ryoko Kobayashi (or just Kobayashi to his friends) sat in his office wondering, as he did sometimes when he was bored, for the thousandth time why he had decided to take this job. Then he remembered that he didn't decide to take the job as much as it was forced onto him. Although you couldn't really say it was forced on him, being a Harvard graduate and a close friend of the president made him a likely candidate for head of the United Nations Science Advisory Committee. Kobayashi, a refugee from Japan, didn't know his real parents. His adoptive family told him that they were killed during a riot in the Shinjuku District. He graduated from Harvard with a Masters Degree in Physics and Nuclear Sciences. He had always wanted to be a scientist; his adoptive father had been one so it only made sense. His closest friend, President Arnold, had been a law school graduate. When he became president and announced he would be nominating a new head official, Kobayashi hoped he would be nominated. When President Arnold named Kobayashi as the nominee, he jumped at the chance. That was a year ago and since that day Kobayashi has regretted taking the job. For one thing his work keeps from being home often, which keeps him from his wife; Katsura. Kobayashi looked at the picture on his desk. It was a picture of him and Katsura on their honeymoon one year ago. At just a little under five foot nine inches tall, with a slender build and waist length black hair, Katsura Akira Kawakita had been like most other Asian girls he had known in his life. Her southern accent had completely thrown him for a loop, however. It was so incongruous yet somehow so perfect at the same time. Although the two had met while she was attending a conference on Radiation and its effects on cellular division, Kobayashi had been raised in Boston and she had been raised in Kentucky and spoke English with a deep drawl that a year of living in New York had not been able to erase. Kobayashi flashed back to their marriage day. He remembered it well, especially since, despite arguments from his family, they were married when Katsura was only 20.

Kobayashi was brought back to reality when he became aware that someone had walked up beside him. He swiveled in his chair and came face-to-face with Secretary General Michael Kowalski. Kobayashi nearly jumped out of his skin! He had not heard the Secretary General approach and was startled by his sudden appearance. Kobayashi quickly regained himself and hoped the Secretary General had not seen his momentary lapse in composure.

"Sorry if I scared ya'," said Michael, his Texan accent very apparent.

_Damn _thought Kobayashi, but still hoping that the remark was not because he had scared him Kobayashi replied as sincerely as possible.

"Don't worry about," Kobayashi replied smoothly, "So; what can I do for you today?"

"I'm glad you asked," Michael replied, "I'm sure you've heard the news lately. About the Queen Mary II?"

Kobayashi only nodded his head. He didn't exactly know what happened, but then again according to the reports he'd heard neither did anyone else.

"Well there was one survivor from the accident," Michael continued, "but the story he gives is kinda' iffy. The police suspect he is hiding something, but I want you to check out his story."

"I don't understand," said Kobayashi, his confusion evident, "I'm a scientist, not a forensics expert. What does this have to do with me?"

"According to the survivor," Michael responded, "A…uh… monster… sunk the ship."

"A monster," said Kobayashi, cocking one eyebrow and folding his arms, "aren't we a little old for fairy tales?"

"Touché," said Michael, "but I'd still like you to check it out."

"Alright," Kobayashi surrendered, "where is he staying?"

"He's staying at a hospital in Honolulu," responded Michael, and with that he got up and left.

Honolulu National Hospital

Honolulu, Hawaii

1100 hrs. June 20, 2010

Kobayashi followed a man from the Marine Safety Agency to the room where the Queen Mary II's survivor was staying. The MSA man had already briefed Kobayashi on the story the survivor was giving and what the police thought had happened. The latter story was unimportant as Kobayashi had been sent to debunk the survivor's story, not prove whether the police were right or not. The MSA man opened the door to the survivor's room and ushered Kobayashi inside. Kobayashi quickly glanced at his surroundings, making note of the police officer in the corner of the room. Kobayashi grabbed a metal chair and sat it beside the bed before sitting down in it. The survivor was either unaware of Kobayashi's presence or did not care enough to turn and look at him.

"Excuse me, sir," said Kobayashi, trying to get the man's attention.

The survivor turned his head slowly until he was looking right at Kobayashi. The survivor had a look of utter horror on his face. Kobayashi determined he was either faking the look or it was genuine, and Kobayashi knew from his years in drama class that faking a look of extreme horror was hard to pull off and still be believable. Now that he had the survivor's attention, Kobayashi took full advantage of it.

"I'm Tetsuya Kobayashi with the U.N.," Kobayashi said, "I'm here because…"

"I know why you are here," the survivor interrupted, his voice straining to form the words.

"You do?" Kobayashi asked, not at all angry at being interrupted.

"Yes," responded the survivor, "I know my story is hard to believe, but it is the truth."

"Well why don't you tell me your story and then I'll decide whether or not to believe it," Kobayashi said.

The survivor proceeded to tell Kobayashi about how he was watching sonar when the creature had first appeared and how he had first thought it was a pod of whales. He spoke of how it came up beside the boat and tried to destroy it with quick blows to the hull. He told Kobayashi how he was thrown overboard and watched as the ship exploded in a horrendous fireball. The survivor said that the fireball illuminated the creature, to which he described vividly as having white eyes with black pupils, irregular-shaped protrusions on its back, and huge menacing teeth. And the roar, the survivor described the creature as having a roar that could make Hercules tremble with fear.

"If I were going to tell a lie," the survivor finished, "I'd think up something more believable than a scaly black monster!"

The survivor refused to say anything more so Kobayashi and the MSA man walked outside the room and shut the door.

"So, what do you think?" asked the MSA man.

"Two things," responded Kobayashi, "one, he has a point. If he were going to lie he wouldn't say a monster did it."

"I see," the man said, knowing Kobayashi was right with the first point, "You said you had two points."

"The description," said Kobayashi, now leading the MSA man down the hall to a vending machine.

"I beg your pardon?" asked the MSA man.

Kobayashi inserted a dollar bill into the machine and pressed a button with a picture of a can of Coca-Cola on it. Within a few seconds time the can rolled into the bottom of the machine. Kobayashi reached in and picked it up then he reached into the coin return slot and got his change.

"His description," Kobayashi said, finally responding to the question, "is far to detailed to be fabricated."

The MSA man knew once again that Kobayashi was correct. However, a monster destroying an ocean liner was still a hard case to swallow.

"Well, I have to be going," Kobayashi said.

"Thank you for coming," the MSA man said, extending his hand.

"My pleasure," said Kobayashi, accepting the man's handshake offer and then leaving the hospital.

Kobayashi had a lot to do before he briefed the Secretary General on his findings. He had to make sure all his facts were straight and then type up a report. Kobayashi wanted to make sure the Secretary General had all the information Kobayashi could give him before the day ended.

United Nations

New York City, New York

1800 hrs. June 20, 2010

Kobayashi stood in the men's room making sure he was presentable. He took a good look at himself in the mirror, running his fingers through his short black hair. The past few hours had been hectic as Kobayashi had struggled to get his report finished in time. He left the men's room and walked down the hall to the Secretary General's office. He stopped in front of the door and knocked.

"Come in," came the response from the other side of the door.

Kobayashi took a deep breath and entered the office.

"Ah, Dr. Kobayashi," Michael said, "good to see ya'."

"Thank you, sir," Kobayashi said, "I have the report you wanted."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Michael, "Let's see it."

Kobayashi handed the report to Michael and stood there as he read it. Every so often Michael would nod his head or mutter something under his breath. When he was finally done reading it, he looked directly at Kobayashi with a gaze that could shatter stone.

"Do you really believe his story?" Michael asked.

"I never said I did, sir," Kobayashi responded, "I merely stated the facts as I saw them."

"You didn't answer my question," Michael said, "Do you believe his story?"

Kobayashi thought about it for a second or two before responding.

"I don't really know what to believe, sir," Kobayashi said.

"You know," Michael said, "A wise man once told me that 'we're too old for fairy tales'."

"Of course, sir," Kobayashi said, a smile on his face, "What was I thinking?"

"Think nothing of it," said Michael, "Hey, aren't you due a vacation?"

"Uh, no sir," said Kobayashi, confused.

"Well I think you are," said Michael, digging through his desk drawers.

"I don't understand," said Kobayashi.

"You think I didn't know what you were thinking of when I saw you this morning," said Michael, referring to when he had asked Kobayashi to go to Honolulu, "I know this job keeps you from your wife and I know you would like to spend some time with her."

Michael found whatever it was he was looking for and walked up to Kobayashi.

"My wife and I own a house in Seattle," said Michael, "we like to spend the summer up there sometimes."

Michael showed Kobayashi the key and then stuck it in Kobayashi's shirt pocket.

"You need it more than we do right now," said Michael, putting his arm around Kobayashi.

"Sir, I can't accept this," said Kobayashi, taking the key out of his pocket.

"I won't take no for an answer," said Michael, "Now go and enjoy yourselves, that's an order."

"Yes, sir!" said Kobayashi, "thank you sir."

Chapter III

It does exist!

Kowalski Summer house

Seattle, Washington

0600 hrs. June 21, 2010

The taxi pulled up in front of the house and stopped. Katsura got out first and Kobayashi paid the driver. Once he was out of the car, Kobayashi got their luggage and walked up to the front door. Katsura was on the porch swing waiting for him.

"It's such a beautiful house," she said, "I can't believe that Michael just let us stay here for vacation."

"A great guy isn't he?" said Kobayashi, sitting down beside her and putting his arm around her.

She leaned against him and they started slowly moving the swing back and forth. The two of them sat in the swing for over an hour before Kobayashi spoke up.

"I should put the luggage inside," he said, starting to get up.

"Just a little longer," Katsura insisted, pulling him back into the swing.

Katsura leaned up against him again, Kobayashi putting his arm back around her. It had been a while since they had spent enough time together that Kobayashi could just sit there and hold her, and she was taking full advantage of it. As long as Katsura was happy, it didn't matter how long she wanted him to hold her. Kobayashi looked right into Katsura's green eyes and she looked right up at him. Kobayashi leaned in and him and Katsura shared a passionate kiss that seemed to last an eternity. They broke the embrace and Kobayashi pulled Katsura closer to his side, holding her tight. It was ten o'clock in New York, but here the sun was just coming up and the swing was angled so that they got to see the entire show. And what a show it was going to be.

Elliot Bay, Puget Sound

Seattle, Washington

1015 hrs. June 21, 2010

Elliot Bay was a hive of activity as cargo ships from various countries were loaded and unloaded. The massive cranes used to do so were constantly moving along their rails as they prepared to finish with one ship and start on another. The dock crews were so busy that none of them noticed the water begin to bulge and slide away, revealing three rows of strangely shaped objects. These objects continued to move forward until the creature they were attached to hit shallow water. Then the creature stood up, seawater cascading off its body, and issued a bellowing roar heard all over Seattle. The creature saw the ships sitting at anchor and the people trying to flee. The objects on the creature's back began to glow a bright blue and the sound of thumping could be heard arcing between them. The back of the creature's mouth began to glow the same blue and the fleeing people now stood still, mesmerized by the sight before them. Then the creature opened its tooth-lined maw and a light blue beam of light struck the dock. The creature turned its head, arcing the light from one end of the dock to the other and turning the dock into a raging inferno, before closing its mouth and extinguishing the light. The creature roared in satisfaction of the damage it had caused and, having had no real urge to come ashore, turned and headed back out to sea.

Kowalski Summer house

Seattle Washington

1015 hrs. June 21, 2010

The summerhouse Katsura and Kobayashi were staying in had an excellent view of the ocean. So when they heard a terrible roaring sound, they immediately ran outside. What they saw astonished them! An impossibly large creature stood knee deep in Elliot Bay, a creature that should not exist. Kobayashi's mind regressed back to what the cruise ship survivor had told him, how a huge black monster had sunk the ship. Kobayashi had only half believed him, but now he could not deny it. Katsura grabbed hold of Kobayashi's arm and buried her face in it as a blue light emanated from the creature's terrible mouth and turned the dock it was facing into a gigantic fire. Kobayashi couldn't believe what he was seeing! A huge black…dragon…had just set a section of Seattle ablaze! Katsura, who had starting watching the creature again, breathed a sigh of relief as the creature headed away from Seattle and then she turned to weep on Kobayashi's shoulder. Kobayashi was still stunned by the scene he'd just witnessed, but was brought back to his senses when Katsura turned and began crying on his shoulder. He put both arms around her and tried his best to comfort her. But how could he calm her when he himself was still disconcerted? Kobayashi led Katsura back inside and gently placed her on the couch. He sat down beside her and, keeping one arm around his distraught wife, picked up his cell phone off the side table. He tried to quickly dial the number for Michael, but speed dialing with one finger was almost an impossibility. Kobayashi focused himself and slowly dialed the number, then he put the phone to his ear.

"Michael!" he said when Michael finally answered, "I think you need to get over here now!"

Michael spoke quickly and decisively, as he heard the concern in Kobayashi's voice.

"I think we may have a problem, sir," Kobayashi responded, "Trust me, just get here!"

Kobayashi hung up the phone, placed it back on the table, and pulled his wife closer to him. She was still crying and he was just going to let her. Kobayashi continued to think about everything he'd witnessed. He had to make sure that he had all the facts perfect for Michael, although he wasn't completely sure of the facts himself. After all, how do you tell someone who doesn't believe in monsters it does exist?

Chapter IV

They call him Godzilla

Seattle City Hall Basement

Emergency military bunker

1500 hrs. June 21, 2010

After calling Michael, Kobayashi had set up an emergency meeting room in an old military bunker under city hall. Kobayashi had also contacted the nearest military base to help asses the situation. Actually, it was done more on account that an anti-sub recon plane, which was launched after the creature left, had noticed that the strange creature was still in the vicinity. Kobayashi noticed the monster didn't come ashore after its attack, but that didn't mean it wouldn't the next time. In the back of his mind, Kobayashi hoped there wouldn't be a next time. Kobayashi looked over the makeshift war room. The room was rather small, but it was the best the town could do on such short notice. In the center of the room was a large oval table. Kobayashi would rather have had a rectangular one, but this was real short notice and he had to make due.

Seated at the far end of the table was Colonel Leonard Masters of the United States Marine Corps. Kobayashi had asked Colonel Masters to join them because he needed someone with military intelligence. After all, to know what the military is capable of you need someone from the military. Masters was a battle hardened individual, Kobayashi was not surprised the people under Col. Masters called him 'Iceman' behind his back and Kobayashi could see why. Col. Masters never seemed to show any kind of emotion, almost as though he had ice water running through his veins. Kobayashi didn't, however, bother to speculate as to why the Col. was the way he was. War had a way of changing people, Masters had participated in Operation Desert Storm and had played a key role in the current war on terror, also in Iraq. His tour of duty was almost finished when he had taken some shrapnel from a roadside bomb. Unable to complete his tour, Masters was re-assigned to a base here in the U.S., where he spent the remainder of his term issuing orders from behind a desk.

To the Colonel's left was Major Samuel 'Sam' Truman of the United States Air Force. The Major was here in case the unknown creature returned to Seattle. The Major had even brought a small task force comprised of the latest stealth fighter, the F-22 Raptor. These aircraft boast total stealth capabilities and thrust vectoring, giving them unmatched maneuverability. They were also capable of speeds in access of Mach 2, making them the fastest aircraft on the planet. They were equipped with state-of-the-art heat-seeking sidewinder missiles as well as the Air Force's latest development, the ALRAAM. The ALRAAM, or Advanced Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile, is capable of targeting up to four enemies at once and can be fired from stand-off ranges, meaning the fighter never had to get close enough to be shot down. The Raptor was also equipped with an M61A2 30-mm cannon that worked along the Gatling principle, which used six revolving barrels, and fired a 30-mm armor piercing round incased in depleted Uranium. All of these weapons were hidden in special compartments until needed to give the plane a sleek, stealthy look while at the same time enhancing the plane's aerodynamics. All of these features were what gave the Raptor the nickname 'Demon of the skies'.

On Masters' right sat Captain Charles Andersen of the U.S.S. Nimitz. The Nimitz, as well as a new Raven-Class Destroyer, now sat docked and at the ready. While the U.S.S. New Jersey was useless until the creature showed up, the Nimitz was launching special Combat Air Patrols, or rather _Sea_ Patrols, in an attempt to locate the creature. At least four Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II's and two Grumman E-2C Hawkeyes were always in the air scouting the water for the unknown creature. Should it be found, the F-35s were armed with heat seeking, sidewinder missiles as well as precision-guided free-fall bombs inside the fuselage. As a last ditch resort, the F-35 had a M61A1 20-mm Gatling gun with 675 rounds of ammunition. If all else failed, the U.S.S. New Jersey's two Electromagnetic Railguns should be powerful enough to stop the creature.

At the front of the table, to the left of where Kobayashi would later be sitting, was Katsura. He had wished he could send her back to New York, but after the attack all flights to or from Seattle were either grounded or re-routed to other airports. Unfortunately, should the creature return, the city would not be a very safe place, but it was definitely safer in the bunker than anywhere else. That fact, however, didn't make Kobayashi feel any better about having to keep Katsura in the city and he still wished he could get her a flight out.

On the right of Kobayashi's empty chair was Secretary General Michael Kowalski. Michael was the first person Kobayashi called after the attack ended. Of course Michael was skeptical when he first arrived, but after watching amateur video of the attack, filmed by some high school students, he was definitely a believer. At first Michael tried to disprove it as a hoax, but thirty eyewitnesses backed up the story in the video and the dock was still on fire, which was hard to discredit.

The telephone on the table rang and Kobayashi answered it. The conversation between Kobayashi and the unknown caller was brief, but it was in Japanese so no one but Kobayashi, the unknown caller, and Katsura knew what was being said. Kobayashi hung up the phone and Katsura noticed he had a distraught look on his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I just got off the phone with a friend of mine in the Japanese Prime Ministers office," Kobayashi responded, "and according to him we have a big problem on our hands."

"No shit," Michael said, sarcastically.

Kobayashi didn't bother to respond to Michael's sarcastic remark. What he was about to say next would answer everything. Kobayashi stood up and addressed the entire room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "if you will all please watch the monitor we are about to receive a video feed from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces that might clear up a few things."

At the far end of the room was a large TV monitor. As the lights in the room dimmed, the monitor sprang to life. On it was what looked like a scene from an old black and white monster movie, but it wasn't a movie they were watching. Kobayashi spoke in an informative tone to the stunned crowd.

"These images were taken in 1954," he said, "when this creature made its first appearance in Tokyo."

The monitor continued to show images of the creature as it decimated Tokyo before returning to the ocean. The final image was an aftermath shot of what was left of Tokyo. The devastation was unbelievable, the only thing it could be compared to was the detonation of a nuclear weapon.

"By now you've noticed that these images do not look like the creature we saw earlier," Kobayashi said, "and with good reason."

Now the monitor was showing images of divers looking for the creature. When they found it a strange device was thrown down in front of it. When the device was activated, it released a curtain of bubbles that completely engulfed the creature. When the bubbles subsided, only the creature's skeleton remained.

"If they killed it then," Masters spoke up, "why is it here?"

"Please be patient," Kobayashi said, "and everything will be explained."

Kobayashi typed on a laptop, which was attached to the monitor, and froze the image of the creature on the screen. Then he pulled up the image of the creature that attacked the dock earlier today. There were noticeable differences, one of them being the objects on its back.

"There are a few differences between the creature from 1954 and the one from today," Kobayashi said, stating the obvious, "One of them being the shape of the objects on its back."

Kobayashi waited to make sure that soaked in before continuing.

"These objects are called dorsal plates and they are the biggest difference between the two monsters," Kobayashi stated, "the monster from '54 had only one row of rounded dorsal plates."

Everyone continued to watch the monitor as Kobayashi continued with his description.

"Our monster, however, has THREE rows of irregularly shaped, jagged dorsal plates," Kobayashi said.

"What is your point?" Major Truman demanded.

"Let him finish!" Katsura demanded back, then to her husband, "go ahead."

"Thank you," Kobayashi whispered, then loud enough for every one to hear, "this leads me to my theory."

"Which is what?" Capt. Andersen asked calmly.

"The creature from 1954 was created from nuclear testing," said Kobayashi, "since this one exists it too must have been created from nuclear testing."

"There was a failed test launch of a new nuclear weapon about a week ago," Capt. Andersen admitted, "but could that have created it?"

"Yes," Kobayashi responded, "That is why it looks so different, because it was created from modern nuclear weapons."

Kobayashi took a breath, allowing Truman to speak up again.

"I still have one question," he said, "you told us everything about it, but you have yet to tell us what it is."

"I apologize," Kobayashi said, "in 1954 the monster was given the name of an old legend. Due to the similarities between the creatures I've decided to call this one by the same name, from now on the creature will be referred to as Godzilla."

"Is there anything else we should know about this, Godzilla?" asked Masters.

Kobayashi sighed heavily before responding.

"Godzilla…" he said, "is…impervious to all known forms of weaponry."

"WHAT?" Masters screamed, showing his first emotion since his arrival and slamming his fist down on the table.

"Are you sure?" Andersen asked, fear evident in his voice.

"Mother o' God!" Truman stated, looking back towards the image.

"Well," Michael said, trying not to let the fear creep into his voice, "that puts a damper on our great extermination plan, doesn't it?"

"What about the Raptors?" Truman asked, "Surely they mig…"

"According to my informant," Kobayashi interrupted, shaking his head from side to side, "Godzilla is quite capable of swatting planes out of the sky like bugs."

"Maybe so," Truman said, agitated about being interrupted, "but the Raptors don't have to get that close."

Kobayashi pushed a few buttons on the computer so that the new Godzilla was the only image on the screen. Then he let the video finish playing.

"True," Kobayashi said, as the entire room watched Godzilla obliterate the dock with a beam of energy shot from his mouth, "but apparently neither does he."

"What the HELL was that!" Michael asked, his fear now very evident.

"My informant says that this is Godzilla's primary weapon," Kobayashi responded, "an energy beam of unimaginable destructive power, comparable to an atomic blast."

The room fell eerily silent as the realization sank in. Then Truman spoke up.

"How sure are we that Godzilla is impervious to all weapons?" He asked Kobayashi, "after all, your informant's data is based on a different Godzilla."

"I thought the same thing," Kobayashi said, "but like I stated before, I don't think jets will have an effect on him."

"And with that I agree with you," Truman said, surprising Kobayashi, "but I did notice the New Jersey is docked here."

"Go ahead," Kobayashi said.

"As I recall, Destroyers are equipped for anti-ship warfare," Truman said, "Am I right Capt. Andersen?"

"True," Andersen responded, "but if what Dr. Kobayashi says is true then I doubt her Railguns will be very effective."

"Perhaps," said Truman, "but I wasn't thinking about her guns."

The realization dawned on Capt. Andersen, but Kobayashi was still in the dark.

"I fail to see what other weapon the ship has that could be effective," Kobayashi said.

"RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles," Andersen said.

"Anti-ship missiles?" Kobayashi asked, confused.

"These missiles have a warhead strong enough to completely cripple, if not sink, a ship the size of the Nimitz with little trouble," Andersen responded, "even if they don't kill him, they'll definitely hurt like hell."

"What if these missiles aren't enough, what then?" Michael asked.

"Well short of dropping a nuke on him," Masters said, "I don't think any other weapon we can come up with will work."

So it was decided that if Godzilla ever came back to Seattle, all weapons would be used against him. Hopefully they would kill him, but if they didn't then maybe they could prevent him from coming ashore.

Chapter V

Day of Destruction

Puget Sound

Seattle, Washington

0900 hrs. June 24, 2010

A UH-1 Iroquois, along with seven other helicopters, patrolled the waters off Seattle for any sign of the monster known as Godzilla. The helicopter had to move slowly because hanging underneath the helicopter was a sonar buoy, which was right now in the water. Also flying around the waters of Puget Sound were three E-2C Hawkeyes doing anti-sub recon, and even higher above the water was an E-3C AWACS to help relay all information to base command. Should they spot Godzilla, two 'Los Angeles' class, as well as a new 'Virginia' class, attack submarines were on standby. If Godzilla penetrated this defense perimeter, the Nimitz had four F-35's armed with Precision-Guided Free-fall bombs. If all else failed, a 'Tarawa' class amphibious assault ship had brought six M60A3 main battle tanks as well as three M198 howitzers. Also included in this great plan was the 'Raven' class Destroyer the U.S.S. New Jersey, whose Railguns should be more than effective. This was, of course, depending on the hope that this Godzilla was not impervious to weapons, as was the first. If he was, then none of the firepower they had ready would even put a dent in Godzilla. The day before an evacuation plan had been instigated on the city of Seattle. If anyone spotted Godzilla, the city would be immediately put on an evacuation alert and the city would be cleared. This would, hopefully, keep casualties to a minimum should Godzilla make it into the city.

Kobayashi stood at the back of the room, attentively watching the monitor. Beside him was a radio with three switches that would immediately connect him to one of the three military officers. The Mayor of Seattle had also joined Kobayashi in the bunker and waited for Kobayashi to give the order. Beside the mayor, on a table, was a small hand-held device with a single button on it. This device controlled the air-raid sirens that had recently been installed in the city. When the sirens went off the people would evacuate. Despite the enormous amount of combat weapons on hand Kobayashi was taking every precaution. When mandatory evacuation preparations had been ordered two days ago, everyone had been asked to gather only a small bag of belongings and be ready to leave on a moments notice. The Navy and the Air Force were patrolling the waters as far out as thirty-five miles, but that didn't mean Godzilla was incapable of slipping past undetected.

Kobayashi was getting nervous, and with good reason. No one knew what Godzilla was truly capable of. Any one who did was undoubtedly killed when the first Godzilla attacked Tokyo. Kobayashi could only hope that this audacious plan would work and Godzilla would be killed before any one else was. Finally a radio transmission from the AWACS came through.

"Sky Eye to base command, come in base command," The voice echoed out of the bunker's speakers.

"This is Base Command," responded Kobayashi, seemingly talking to no one, "we read you Sky Eye."

"Hawkeye reports confirmed. Godzilla on approach! Repeat, Godzilla on approach! Approximately twelve miles from Seattle, speed is forty knots! Heading, due East!"

"Alright Sky Eye," Kobayashi ordered, "All planes are ordered to attack on sight of the target!"

Kobayashi flipped a switch and spoke again.

"All vessels," he ordered, "Godzilla is on approach and is approximately twelve miles from Seattle. Intercept and engage, try to get him to surface!"

Kobayashi flipped another switch.

"Masters!" he said, "Godzilla is approaching! Prepare to attack!"

The mayor picked up his transmitter and hit the button. All over the city sirens were going off and hopefully people were starting to leave. Katsura had gone back to the house and packed up what they had brought with them. Kobayashi could only hope that she was also leaving. He wished he could go with her, but he was needed if this plan was to succeed. The house was on a small island in the bay and the only way to get to or from it was a suspension bridge that was roughly an eighth of a mile long. In the corner of the screen he could just barely see the bridge.

Suddenly, warning alarms started going off. Kobayashi watched the screen. Two explosions occurred under water, sending water high into the sky. What happened next completely astounded everyone. The ocean began to swell and three rows of sharp plates began to surface. Then Godzilla's feral head surfaced and Godzilla stood up, revealing the rest of his bulk. Kobayashi was amazed at the creature's size, which he estimated to be about one hundred fifty feet! Godzilla issued a bellowing roar and the attack began. The F-35's were first, deploying their entire compliment of bombs. The weapons hit their target, completely obscuring Godzilla in smoke. When the smoke cleared, Godzilla remained. The jets came around for another try and were immediately blasted out of the sky, falling onto the bridge and destroying Katsura's only means of escape. Kobayashi watched in disbelief and could only pray Katsura had not been on the bridge. His attention was diverted back to Godzilla when two explosions rocked the monster from under water. The two 'Los Angeles' class submarines were still in active pursuit, but it didn't look as though it would stay that way. Godzilla turned and blasted the water with his death ray. Two massive explosions rewarded his marksmanship. Godzilla turned and was about to head for shore, when he was suddenly, and quite forcefully, thrown to his side by a massive explosion. Godzilla got up and faced his attacker, the U.S.S. New Jersey. Godzilla charged his death ray and fired, but missed when the New Jersey shot again. Godzilla got back up, infuriated by the attack. Kobayashi watched as Godzilla dove under water. The ocean showed no signs of the leviathan it was hiding. Godzilla suddenly surfaced beneath the New Jersey, which erupted into a ball of flame that engulfed the entire ship, nothing was left. Godzilla did not turn back to shore, however, as the explosion of the New Jersey showed him another target. The aircraft carrier Nimitz had appeared and was ready to fight. Godzilla waded towards the carrier as it scrambled jets for takeoff. The flight crews were too slow, unfortunately, and in no time Godzilla had overtaken the ship. With one fail swoop of his right hand, Godzilla tore the ship's island infrastructure completely off. Then, using both hands, Godzilla pushed the 1000+ ft. ship completely under water. Kobayashi and the others couldn't see, but Kobayashi was sure there must have been people on deck. The Nimitz's hull bobbed back up and Godzilla swatted it again. This time he tore part of the bow off, as well as part of the flight deck. The ship hit the water and sank almost immediately. Having finished this, Godzilla headed towards Seattle. He did not get far, however, before the 'Virginia' fired at him as well. Once again Godzilla blasted the water, but this time there was no explosion. Everyone watched as Godzilla dove back underwater to pursue his opponent. Suddenly, Godzilla resurfaced, his arms wrapped around the huge submarine. Then Godzilla used his massive strength and ripped the submarine in half, tossing the two halves back into the ocean and watching them sink. Godzilla stood still for a moment or two waiting for another attack, when it didn't come Godzilla continued on towards Seattle. Kobayashi and the others were astounded! Godzilla had destroyed everything they had used against him so far and they hadn't even scratched him! All that was left between Godzilla and Seattle now was Col. Masters, the tanks, and the howitzers. Kobayashi realized that these would be just as effective against Godzilla as using harsh language against a charging rhino. Kobayashi knew he should radio Masters and tell him to evacuate, but there was no time. As soon as Kobayashi thought of it, the howitzers began firing. The shells seemed to almost bounce off Godzilla's hide. Godzilla didn't even bother with these pests as he waded onto the beach. Kobayashi was able to get a good look at Godzilla for the first time. Godzilla stood nearly perfectly erect on two powerful legs. Since he appeared saurian, Kobayashi was not surprised to see that Godzilla walked on his toes, or digitigrade. Godzilla's head was attached to a neck that reminded Kobayashi of the velociraptor's of earth's past, meaning the neck curved and connected to the back of Godzilla's head rather than directly underneath like a human's. Godzilla's long tail, which Kobayashi could only assume was for balance, never seemed to stop moving. It was almost as if it had a mind of its own. The tanks had started firing and now Godzilla was getting angry. He made a quick arcing shot and obliterated everything on the beach. He then made his way into the city, which was not yet fully evacuated.

"What the hell happened out there?" the mayor screamed, grabbing Kobayashi by the lapel, "I thought you had this under control!"

"Calm down, mayor," Kobayashi said, trying to get the mayor off him, "we haven't yet exhausted all our options."

"Well you'd better fucking do something!" the mayor shouted, "I will not have this monster destroying my city!"

With that the mayor left the room, leaving Kobayashi to collect himself. He touched the switch beside him and the radio connected him to the airport.

"Truman," he said.

"Yes, Dr.," came the response.

"Launch the Raptors," Kobayashi said.

"What about the evacuation, Dr.?" asked Truman.

"I'm afraid we have no choice," Kobayashi said, concern evident in his voice, "Godzilla has destroyed every defensive measure we have."

"You still don't think they can stop him?" Truman said.

"If you'd seen what I have you wouldn't think they could either," Kobayashi said, "but if they're as fast as you say they are, then maybe they can survive long enough to delay him until the evacuation is complete."

"Okay Dr.," said Truman, "We'll do our best."

Kobayashi looked back at the bottom left corner of the screen at where the suspension bridge once was. He hoped Katsura was okay, if she was even still alive. With Godzilla now in the city there was no way he could send a helicopter or even a boat over to check. He was very worried about her, but there was nothing he could do at the moment.

"I never should have let her go alone," he said to himself, "I should have gone with her. Oh God, Katsura I hope your okay."

Kowalski summerhouse

Elliot Bay, Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington

1015 hrs. June 24, 2010

Katsura had still been inside the house when Godzilla showed up. She was almost to the bridge when it exploded and fell into the ocean. She even watched the complete destruction of everyone and everything protecting Seattle. She realized in that instant that nothing was capable of stopping Godzilla. Now she was wandering around the small island hoping to find another way off. She walked along the beach on the side of the island facing the city. She could hear the explosions caused by the monster and every few seconds she looked over to see what Godzilla was doing. He was still moving, albeit slowly, to the other side of the city and destroying anything that got in his way. As she watched she became increasingly aware of the sound of jet engines nearby. She looked around and saw four silver streaks in the sky. Katsura assumed they were the Raptors Truman brought with him. She looked at Godzilla, who had also noticed the Raptors approach and appeared confused by their appearance. However, when eight streaks of smoke impacted on his skin, Godzilla's confusion quickly turned to anger. Katsura watched his dorsal plates glow with the same blue color as before and although Godzilla was a good distance from her, she could still hear the familiar thumping sound. Then, with a quick arcing shot, Godzilla destroyed all four jets. The only evidence they existed being their twisted frames as they fell back to Earth. Godzilla then continued his rampage as though nothing had happened. Although the jets were gone, however, Katsura could still hear the sound of jet engines. She ran towards the sound and was met with a comforting sight. About five hundred feet into the water was the U.S.S. Saipan, a 'Tarawa' class amphibious assault ship, preparing AV-8B Harrier 'jump jets' for take-off. Katsura ran down the beach shouting at the ship, hoping to get someone's attention. She was unsure if anyone heard her, but she didn't care. She noticed a small boat being lowered from the side of the ship. When it began approaching her, she felt a large sense of relief come over her. The boat stopped at the beach and she ran over to it.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," she said, out of breath.

"Well to be truthful we didn't expect to find anyone left here," said one of the soldiers, "so we were a little shocked when we saw you."

The soldier helped Katsura onto the boat and then they left the island.

"So where are you off to?" asked one of the soldiers.

"I have to get to the city," Katsura responded, calmly.

"Lady you must be out of your mind," said another soldier.

"Yeah," said a third, "maybe you didn't notice the giant monster that's destroying it right now."

"I don't care," Katsura said, "I have to get to my husband!"

The soldiers didn't want to take her and weren't going to. The boat turned back towards the Saipan taking its unwilling passenger with it.

"Sorry, but not going to happen," said a soldier, " we'll take you back to the Saipan where you'll get some medical attention."

"But…" Katsura started to protest.

"Sorry, but it is too dangerous to take you to the city," the soldier said.

The boat came up along side the Saipan and was hoisted aboard. Katsura was then escorted to the medical station.

City Hall

Seattle, Washington

1100 hrs. June 24, 2010

Kobayashi sat reclined slightly in his chair, watching the monitor. Godzilla had destroyed almost twenty-five percent of the city and showed no signs of stopping until he had decimated the other seventy-five percent. Kobayashi was very stressed, the rest of the Raptors were ready for launch, but he was disinclined to order them out. Godzilla's sudden appearance and quick decimation of the military forces did not allow enough time for people to evacuate. Now those left behind were stuck in the city, still scrambling to get out. If Kobayashi ordered the other Raptors out, it could mean the deaths of countless people. Of course, the very lives he was trying to save could just as easily be lost to Godzilla if he did nothing. He had even asked the U.S.S. Sapian to put its harriers on stand-by, although he really didn't want to launch them either. With a great amount of regret, Kobayashi switched on his radio and contacted the airport.

"Truman here!" came the response.

Kobayashi noticed sirens going off in the background, as well as the sounds of small explosions. Kobayashi looked back at the screen and finally noticed where Godzilla was in the city.

"Truman! Get the Raptors airborne and get the hell out of there!" Kobayashi said.

"The Raptors are gone!" Truman said, "Godzilla destroyed them while they were sitting on the tarmac!"

"Truman get out now!" Kobayashi screamed.

His only response was a large explosion and muffled, agonizing screams as Godzilla obliterated the airport with his heat ray. Kobayashi and the few troops in the room could only stare at the screen in stunned silence. Kobayashi realized that nothing was going to stop Godzilla. None of there conventional weapons were effective and a nuclear weapon was out of the question. Not only would it kill everyone in the city, but also there was a chance it would only make Godzilla stronger rather than kill him. For the first time in his life, Kobayashi didn't know what to do and it bothered him. He couldn't even concentrate on Godzilla as his mind kept wandering back to the status of his wife. Kobayashi didn't even know if she was alive or dead. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, and held his face in his hands. When the telephone rang Kobayashi didn't even notice. One of the soldiers answered it and then turned to Kobayashi.

"Sir," he said, "the Saipan is on the other line and they say they have someone who wants to talk to you."

Kobayashi got up and took the phone from the soldier.

"Thank you," Kobayashi said to him, then into the receiver, "Kobayashi here."

The voice on the other line spoke and Kobayashi realized who it was.

"Masters!" he said, the soldiers perked up at the sound of the name, "I thought you were on the beach!"

Masters spoke again while Kobayashi listened attentively. Suddenly there was another voice, a woman's voice.

"Katsura!" Kobayashi said, tears streaming down his face, "Thank God you're okay!"

Katsura said something and Kobayashi nodded his head.

"Absolutely!" he said, "I'll have them send both of you over in a chopper immediately!"

Kobayashi hung up the phone and sat back down in his chair. His smile broadened as he flipped on his radio and contacted the Saipan.

Chapter VI

Of Men and Monsters

City Hall

Seattle, Washington

1500 hrs. June 24, 2010

Kobayashi sat in his chair, his wife safely by his side. Masters, who had survived the destruction of the beach, sat on Kobayashi's right. The trio was trying to devise a plan of action that would work against Godzilla, but so far nothing. Everything they had used so far hadn't even scratched him. The question was, if standard weapons were useless then what else was there?

"I just don't know what to do," Kobayashi told Katsura.

Katsura took his hand and caressed it gently.

"No one here expected you to have all the answers," she said, "you had no idea what you were dealing with."

"I know," Kobayashi said, "but I feel like there must have been something else I could have done."

"No one blames you for what happened," Katsura said, "at least you tried."

"Yeah," validated Masters, "its not like we were up against a huge iguana or a giant snake or anything like that…this is Godzilla after all. All we can do is get out of his way."

Kobayashi perked up, a light bulb going on above his head. The word snake continuously going through his mind. That was it! If conventional weapons didn't work, than perhaps a biological approach would!

"Masters you are a genius!" Kobayashi screamed.

"What are you talking about?" asked Katsura.

"I'll explain in a minute," Kobayashi responded, "but first I need to know what the most potent snake venom in the world is."

"The Death Adder," Katsura responded, "Why?"

"Really?" asked Masters, "I thought it was the Black Mamba."

"No it's definitely the Death Adder," Katsura said, "Its venom is a powerful neurotoxin, shuts the nervous system down completely."

"Can we produce it synthetically?" Kobayashi asked.

"Perhaps," responded Katsura, "I can't really say for certain."

"I think I might have a way," Masters said.

Crossroads Army Research and Development Labs

Crossroads, Washington. 30 miles Southeast of Seattle

1547 hrs. June 24, 2010

Secretary General Michael Kowalski had heard of this particular R&D laboratory, all of it good. When Masters had said that they might be able to synthesize enough venom, Michael volunteered to oversee its production. Anything to get rid of Godzilla and if there was a chance that this could work Michael wanted to make sure it was done right. One of the scientists approached Michael, a grim expression on his face.

"What's the matter doc?" Michael asked.

"We can't produce synthetic venom," the scientist responded, removing his glasses, "without a sample of the real venom."

"So what your saying is," said Michael, "is that you need actual Death Adder venom to make fake Death Adder venom."

"Precisely," the scientist said.

"I'll let the team know," Michael said, pulling out his radio.

The scientist walked away, leaving Michael to his conversation. On the other side of the radio, Michael could hear the stress in Kobayashi's voice. He had come up with a plan that might have worked if not for this drawback. Death Adder's were not native to North America and now they needed venom from a real one to make the fake venom. Kobayashi had told Michael that if their was a way to find an Adder, he needed to find it. Michael knew it would be hard, Death Adder's were native to only a few places in and around the country of Australia. To find one in the United States would be almost impossible. Michael could suddenly feel that this plan, like so many others, would never work. He felt, however, that he should remain at the Labs. Maybe something else would turn up, if so his help might be needed.

City Hall

Seattle, Washington

1600 hrs. June 24, 2010

Kobayashi watched Godzilla on the monitor. The beast was almost finished destroying the city and soon would return to the ocean. Kobayashi couldn't believe that this one creature could very easily be the end of mankind. All because of the human race's misuse and total disregard for nuclear energy. Kobayashi was suddenly brought back to his senses when Katsura screamed. He rushed over to her to find what was wrong, when he saw a snake slither away. He quickly ran over and stomped his foot down on top of the snake behind its head. Katsura, now somewhat calm, came over to investigate. The snake had a short thick body and a wide head. It was red with various darker red cross bands along its body, it also had a yellow band at the tip of its tail. Katsura's eyes got big as she realized what the snake was.

"Well boys you better start believing in God," she said.

"Why?" asked Masters.

"Because that," she said, pointing to the snake, "is a Death Adder."

"I thought you said they weren't native to North America," Masters said.

"It must have been in the zoo and escaped when Godzilla destroyed it," Katsura hypothesized.

"Call Michael," Kobayashi said, his foot still on the snake, "tell him to send one of his scientists up here on the double, with equipment to milk a snake."

"On it," Masters said.

Kobayashi still couldn't believe their luck. A Death Adder, the very snake they needed, had taken refuge in the bunker with them! Now all they had to do was get some venom from the snake and the labs could produce the rest artificially! His audacious plan may actually have a chance now, if they could get the venom into Godzilla. That's when Kobayashi realized that they had no way of getting the venom into Godzilla's bloodstream! It wasn't like when a snake bites a person, and if no weapon could hurt Godzilla then no needle was going to penetrate his skin.

"Masters!" Kobayashi said.

"What?" Masters asked in return.

"I just thought of something," Kobayashi said, "Now that we can produce the venom how do we get it into Godzilla?"

Masters opened his mouth to answer, but realized quickly that he didn't have one. No weapon was powerful enough to pierce Godzilla's skin. An explosion would only obliterate the venom, you didn't have to be a scientist to know that. But, maybe there was a way.

"What about the flesh inside his mouth?" asked Masters.

Kobayashi thought about it for a minute. It was possible that the skin inside Godzilla's mouth was softer than the skin on his body. But that still didn't answer how to get it into the bloodstream.

"It could work," Kobayashi said, "but we still don't know how to get it into his blood."

"Well, once again, I think I may have a way," said Masters.

Chapter VII

The Final Battle

City Hall

Seattle, Washington

1800 hrs. June 24, 2010

Everyone sat at the table, including Michael who had returned when the scientist came and got the snake. The helicopter had returned a short time ago, after taking the venom to a field base outside the city. Now they were awaiting confirmation that the 'package' was ready for delivery. The plan was simple. A UH-1 Iroquois, equipped with a special flare gun, would distract Godzilla and hopefully get him to open his mouth. When that occurred, an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter would fire a specially designed missile with a hollow cone. The missile was originally designed to pollute an enemy's water supply. Instead of a warhead, the cone was hollow with a small opening at the tip. Anything could be put inside the cone, in this case venom, and would be forced through the opening by gas pressure as soon as the missile hit its mark. Hopefully the weapon would be able to do the same thing in Godzilla's mouth. The flare gun was Kobayashi's idea, after noticing Godzilla's strange attraction to things he didn't understand. An excellent pilot would be flying the Apache and another capable pilot would fly the Iroquois. However, despite Katsura's protests, Kobayashi would be on the Iroquois to operate the flare gun. He assured her that it wasn't because he felt in some way responsible, he just didn't trust it to anyone else. Nevertheless Katsura was very unhappy about his decision. Godzilla was standing on the other edge of town, but he was moving back towards the ocean. He was obviously satisfied with the destruction he'd caused. Kobayashi received word that his helicopter was waiting and he got up to leave. His wife hugged him tight before he could get out the door.

"You had better come back safe," she said.

Tears were streaming down her face, but she still managed to smile at him.

"I promise," Kobayashi said, then he kissed her gently on the lips.

Katsura let go and waved goodbye as Kobayashi walked out the door. Then she turned back to the screen and watched. Soon the attack would begin.

Over Space Needle ruins

Seattle, Washington

1820 hrs. June 24, 2010

The two helicopters flew in close formation towards their target. Godzilla had made it to the beach and was close to entering the water. Kobayashi looked around him, most of the city was burning, and the rest was just piles of rubble. The Space Needle was gone, in fact the entire city had been almost completely leveled. However, to Kobayashi's surprise, City Hall, among a few other buildings, had been spared. Kobayashi radioed the Apache pilot.

"Alright pilot listen carefully," he said, "we will go in first and distract him so hang back a little bit."

"Roger," came the pilot's response, the helicopter then slowed down until he almost couldn't see it following them.

"Good," said Kobayashi, "wait until he opens his mouth before firing the missile, once you do get out as fast as you can."

"Understood," the pilot responded.

Kobayashi turned and looked at his gun. It was basically a long shaft that could only fire a single flare at a time. It worked along the same way that a mortar did. Once you put the flare down the shaft you had a split second to move your hand before it fired. Hopefully the flare would make Godzilla open his massive jaws just long enough to get the missile down his throat. Then they, too, would get out as fast as they could. Kobayashi was expecting a retaliation from Godzilla after he was shot. Kobayashi could only hope it wouldn't be in the form of his heat ray. The Iroquois was now in front of Godzilla and the creature roared. Kobayashi speculated it was a warning. Kobayashi quickly got to his gun and just as he did, the Apache flew by. Unfortunately, Godzilla noticed it and began charging his heat ray. Kobayashi, in somewhat of a panic, fired the flare gun. Godzilla watched the flare with curiosity and the charging ceased. Kobayashi took this time to reload his weapon. When the flare dwindled, Kobayashi shot again. This time Godzilla opened his mouth slightly and was met with immense pain. The Apache pilot was obviously a great marksman and had shot the missile. Now it was fleeing as fast as possible, but the Iroquois was not as lucky. What Kobayashi had feared became real and with a quick blast of his heat ray, the helicopter was gone.

Back at the bunker, Katsura had been watching the screen and it seemed everything was going as planned. That was until Godzilla fired his heat ray and obliterated the helicopter, along with her husband. At first Katsura was too stunned to do anything but stare. Then, for a few seconds, all she could do was stammer. Then the shock of what happened wore off and Katsura became completely aware of what had happened.

"NOOOO!" she screamed, leaping from her chair and running for the door.

Masters jumped from his chair and quickly grabbed her. It was all he could do to hold her.

"Stop!" he said, still trying to hold her, "Quit moving!"

"TETSUYA!" Katsura screamed as she tried to free herself from Col. Masters's vice-like grip.

"Stop!" Masters said, "There's nothing you can do!"

"Let go of me!" Katsura shouted, still struggling to escape.

"He's gone!" Masters said, "He was dead before he knew what hit him!"

Katsura eased up as the realization of what Masters said hit her. Masters let go of her only to have her turn around and weep on him. He was unsure of what to do, so he just let her.

"I know what it's like," Masters said, his hands on Katsura's shoulders as she backed up a little, "to lose someone you love."

"How would you know," Katsura said between sobs.

"I lost my wife and son on September 11." Masters responded.

Katsura looked up at him and for the first time since she'd met him she saw compassion in his eyes. She realized that the death of his family had made him what he was and was the reason for the nickname Iceman. Katsura didn't know what to say.

"I'm so sorry," was all she could think of, "I didn't know."

"That's okay," said Masters.

"How…" Katsura started, "How did they die?"

Masters was a little hesitant to answer. He didn't really want to remember how. It was still fresh on his mind and heavy on his heart.

"They were on the plane that crashed near Somerset, Pennsylvania," Masters finally said, tears forming in his eyes, "they were… they were on their way to visit me."

Katsura lowered her head in shame. Had she known, she wouldn't have judged Masters so quickly. Their attention was averted back to the screen when they heard one of the soldiers shouting.

"Look!" he said, "Look at Godzilla!"

Godzilla was now waist deep in water, but he didn't look too healthy.

"The venom must be taking affect," Katsura said, hope in her voice.

Godzilla continued to stagger forward, his movements slowing down. Godzilla let out one last bellowing roar and fell forward into the ocean, slowly sinking beneath the waves. In a short time he was gone. The room was suddenly filled with the sounds of celebration. Only Katsura was not celebrating with them. Katsura knew they were celebrating because Godzilla was dead, but that didn't mean she wasn't a little angry. Her husband had just been killed and everyone was jumping for joy! Part of her just wanted to scream and the other part wanted to curl up into a corner and wake up from this horrible nightmare! Masters turned to her and saw she was fighting back tears.

"He was a great man," he said, as he escorted her out of the bunker, "it was an honor to work with him."

Michael had followed them out and also tried to comfort Katsura.

"Look if there's anything you need," he said, "don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," Katsura said as she hugged him, "But I think I'd like to go home now."

Michael escorted her outside. The city was in ruins, but somehow city hall still stood. Katsura supposed it was as a testament to the devastation it had witnessed.

"I think next time I'll go to Mexico," Katsura laughed, "nothing dangerous there except the water."

Masters and Michael laughed as well and the three of them made their way to Michael's summerhouse.

Epilogue

Kowalski Summer House

Seattle, Washington

0900 hrs. June 25, 2010

Katsura sat on the porch of her new home. She was thankful that Michael had allowed her to have it. She sat in the swing and remembered the day her and Kobayashi arrived. She remembered how they sat for hours on the swing as Kobayashi held her in his arms. A tear trickled down her face as that memory became as clear as day.

"Knock, knock," came a voice, bringing Katsura back to reality.

Col. Masters had come to visit her and he had a small black box in his hand.

"Hello Masters," she said.

"Please," he said, "call me Leonard."

"Okay, Leonard," she laughed, "what have you got there?"

Masters opened the box and inside was a silver heart with a purple ribbon.

"This is the Purple Heart," Masters responded, "it is awarded to someone if they are injured in the line of duty."

"But I was never hurt," Katsura said.

"It is…" Masters stammered, "it is also given to the relative of a soldier if he or she is killed in action."

Katsura looked at him now realizing whom it was for.

"I got it while serving in Operation Desert Storm," Masters continued, "but I think it would be more appropriate if you had it."

"I couldn't take this," Katsura said.

"I won't take no for an answer," Masters said, "it's my way of honoring Kobayashi."

Katsura took the box from him and placed it in her lap.

"Thank you," she said, then trying to change the subject, "What about Godzilla?"

"Well the Navy assures us he's dead," Masters responded, " he's drifted farther out to sea since last night though."

"Good," said Katsura, "if I never see him again it will be too soon."

"That's the truth," Masters said.

The two looked out over the ocean, which showed no signs of the now dead monster it held. Most of Seattle was still on fire, but thanks to some firefighters from California, things were proceeding smoothly. They brought some equipment with them used to fight forest fires, making things go quickly. However, it would be years before Seattle would be restored to its former glory.

"Well I have to be going," said Masters, "I'm in charge of the cleanup."

"Good luck," Katsura said as Masters left.

Katsura looked back over the ocean. She could imagine she saw Godzilla lying on the bottom of the ocean, dead. She smiled at the irony of it all. Godzilla had killed her husband and was dead because of it. Unbeknownst to her Godzilla was drifting near the bottom of the ocean, but he wasn't dead. Deep within his body, white blood cells were fighting the venom that threatened his life. Deep within his chest was a low beating sound that got increasingly louder.

Thub-thub, THUB-thub, THUB-THUB.

Godzilla® is a registered trademark of Toho Company Ltd. and is used with their explicit permission.

Godzilla: the Dark God 69


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